Passos Coelho thinks that “you cannot go from PJ to Minister of Internal Administration”

Passos Coelho has no doubt that “certainly” Montenegro was based on “the best of intentions”, but considers that “the precedent is serious”: one cannot go from director of the PJ to Minister of Internal Administration. And it’s like changing the Minister of Finance to Governor of the Bank of Portugal.

Former Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho today considered “a serious precedent” the direct passage of Luis Neves from national director of the Judiciary Police to minister of Internal Administration, comparing it to the departure of Mario Centeno from the Government to the Bank of Portugal.

In a conference organized by SEDES and AEP in Porto, in a passage of his speech about the importance of independence of regulators and the separation of powers, Passos Coelho referred specifically to , who took office on Monday as Minister of Internal Administration, the third in the two PSD/CDS-PP executives led by Luis Montenegro.

“You cannot be more than director of the PJ for Minister of Internal Administration. I I don’t think you can”, stated the former prime minister.

“I know that, certainly, the intention that the Prime Minister had when inviting the former director of the Judiciary Police to become Minister of Internal Administration, he was based on the best of intentions. I have no doubt about that. But the precedent is serious”, these.

For Passos Coelho, “you cannot go from director of the Judiciary Police to Minister of Internal Administration”, saying that the person’s choice is not at stake.

“But it wasn’t a good sign. It’s not a good sign. As it was not a good sign remove the Minister of Finance and place him as Governor of Banco de Portugal, is not a good sign”, he said, referring to the case of the former minister Mario Centenothen in the PS executive of António Costa, which was in 2020.

For Passos Coelho, “there is a lot of evidence that has to do with the way agents behave that are important for the culture of responsibilityfor democratic culture, for the culture of a true rule of law, of true separation of powers”.

“I, when I was in the Government, I always did it to respect autonomy ea independence of regulators. Why? Because this is fundamental to a culture of competition and responsibility”, he added.

“Now, if this It’s in the law, but it’s not in the agents’ mindsit is very difficult”, he stated, considering that such “kills the culture of regulation”.

Luís Neves, until then national director of the Judiciary Policetook office on Monday as Minister of Internal Administration.

The new minister replaced the position Maria Lucia Amaralwhich took place in February, after Kristin’s depression had passed through our country, because she understood that she “did not have the personal and political conditions to continue”.